Flies. Hundreds of them. Tiny points that she had not noticed before because of the intensity of the warm bodies.
"Be careful," Vitruvion said quietly. "There are many flies in that dark forest. Spiders may also lurk."
"Spiders," Narlan grimaced. And the rest agreed in his hateful notion with a mixture of murmurs.
"Stare?"
She grunted and started on, pressing her claws to the earth and beginning the trudge into the forest.
Behind her Raevin pressed close, his orders she was sure being to keep her alive at the cost of others. The captain of the guard knew how much she was worth to Vitruvion. His unwavering loyalty to the god who was not even his, and who he had had to swear numerous secret oaths to, was respectable but also creepy. Knowing what Vitruvion did in his darker moments should make any single being shiver, but Raevin instead helped him to create that world. And hire guards for it.
Into the depths of the wood they went, Stare switching to and fro out of her heat sight and general vision to see if there was anything to be missed. All she could see though, for some time, was the hundreds of buzzing lights of flies. She reconnoitered back with Vitruvion.
Press on, he kept saying.
Once, it was far too late.
The enemy came from the side, clicking it's jaws in a screaming clatter. There it was, a massive spider as the god had predicted. Stare sucked in her breath and grabbed her dagger at her belt. But she was suddenly shoved to the side as not only Raevin but two guards surged forwards. Flame-haired Bolster rushed forth, dragging out his sharp blade to stab the creature in the leg.
Screaming came, Stare aimed to get forwards but the others had gone. Desperate and shocked by the sudden mass of blades sticking in its direction the spider let out a shriek. Overall it was around six foot in height and length, six eyes staring whilst the other two seemed to be closed. It screamed and hissed as the men encircled it, waving weaponry in the air.
It soon became clear why Raevin had chosen these particular people. Their skill and ability shone above all others, and they weaved a death like no one deserved. One by one, with unspoken synchronisation they ducked in, then ducked out, changing the way the spider needed to move in order to fight each time. Stare glanced over to Vitruvion, and saw him simply leaning on his cane, blue eyes gleaming as he watched his men. She herself stood ready, but it seemed the warriors were determined not to let her get a way in, on their own thoughts or on orders. Quickly they made sweet bloody work of the spider, and it gave out a final cry with its clicking pincers raised to the sky. As it thumped to the ground Stare dragged in a breath, realising it had all taken just a matter of a few seconds.
